First UK Chick-fil-A will close after just 6 months following LGBTQ protests

By Gary Dinges gdinges@gatehousemedia.com

Monday

Oct 21, 2019 at 12:27 PM

The very first Chick-fil-A to open in the United Kingdom will close for good just six months after opening.

LGBTQ protestors and their allies are claiming victory after management at The Oracle, the mall where the restaurant was located, announced it was booting the chain. A spokesman called it "the right thing to do," according to Fox News.

Chick-fil-A has come under fire in recent years for comments made by its CEO and because of some of the donations the company makes. Many have labeled the chain as anti-gay as a result.

The UK Chick-fil-A is located in Reading, about 90 minutes from London. Protests began even before it opened on Oct. 10. In the future, the mall's operator says it will do a better job of vetting prospective tenants, TV station KCRG reports.

“The chain’s ethos and moral stance goes completely against our values, and that of the UK as we are a progressive country that has legalised same sex marriage for some years, and continues to strive towards equality,” Reading Pride, a local LGBTQ group, said in a written statement.

Another international Chick-fil-A location, in Canada, has also been targeted by protestors, Fox News says.